A Warrior or a Tool?
by Sapphire-Ruby
Summary: Some Keyblade masters once went to the darkness but returned to the light. What if, in the Islands of Keyblade masters, a girl is born, destined to become yet another Keyblade master? This time, though...she's fated to be a puppet of darkness... RikuOC
1. Destiny Islands: Kina

Disclaimer: I don't own the Kingdom Hearts series or any of its characters. I only own the man and Kina.

* * *

_The man banged his fists on the desk, causing the numerous papers to shoot up in the air and slowly float back down onto the white surface of the table, becoming messier as ever than when they were arranged in mounting stacks. Furrowing his eyebrows, the man gritted his teeth in anger, his nails starting to dig his palm._

"_Why did we fail?!" the man growled, staring at the messy sketches and notes written on the papers. "We did everything! Our calculations were supposed to be right! We researched everything!"_

_Outside his room, it was total chaos. Shadows and silhouettes ran here and there, back and forth. Moans of pain could be heard as whole hearts were transformed into half-pink and half-black figures. He could not bring himself to call them hearts, so he only called them figures, not having any appropriate word to name them._

_He heard the shouts. He heard the moans. The man could not bring himself to go outside and tell the people to calm down. After all, it was because of being under his command that they were in this mess now, running to and fro, feeling as if their souls were being ripped into two as their hearts were being half-eaten by the darkness. Guilt filled his heart. And then he realized: Why did he even start the project?_

_Before the words left his mind, a black spiral appeared in front of him, above the table covered with papers. Purple sparks came out of the center of the void and spiraled once around the whole eclipse before returning back inside. It seemed to be a doorway to another world._

_As the man stared, horrified, at what he was seeing, unknown yet familiar voices spoke in his mind._

"You have let the darkness confuse you…"

"We, the hearts of those whom you victimized for your evil deed…"

"…we curse your blood and give it up to the darkness…"

"…until the appropriate time when the Keyblade Master meets the Dark Keyblade Master…"

"…a child born from your line."

_Then the man felt intense pain, first in his chest, then intensifying that it reached to his fingertips and toes. The pain was worst in his chest, feeling as if something was being taken out. Whether it was his heart or his soul, he was not sure; he felt both being torn apart. He felt as if he was being burned, was being pierced on all parts, was being broken in every part…every kind of pain…he was feeling it. He knew this was not death; it was something worse than death._

_His eyes almost closed, he looked down upon his chest._

_His heart was floating above him, revolving, as if it was hanging by a string in an exhibit._

_His breathing stopped. His mind raced. He wanted to stand up, grab his heart, and run. But he couldn't move; he was frozen in his spot. His eyes were stuck watching his heart revolve above him._

_Last he saw, darkness was conquering his room, reaching for his heart, turning it into the thing he called a figure…_

_The man jerked upwards, sitting up. He looked left and right, and was shocked to see that he was on an island. In his mind, he heard one last sentence from the hearts…_

"Your fate rests in the hands of these people…"

* * *

_I've been having these weird thoughts lately…_

_Like…is any of these real…or not?_

* * *

Chapter 1: Destiny Islands – Kina

* * *

_Riku's serious…about bringing me along…_

A girl not older than fifteen was sitting at the sandy banks of one Destiny Island. Long, blond hair was blowing with the soft breeze that came in from the sea, while clear, blue eyes stared at the horizon. She was sitting with her crossed arms on top of her folded knees as she reflected upon one Riku's plan–for fun or for adventure, she didn't know. All she knew was he was planning to take her with him and their other friends who were up for the trip.

Right beside her was a younger boy who was lying on the sand, fast asleep. This one had spiked brown hair that defied gravity even without the help of any hair gel, so that it always bounced whenever he ran or jumped. Behind his bangs, hidden by closed eyelids, were eyes as blue as the eyes of the girl beside him. He had his crossed arms under his head and looked so comfortable in his sleep the girl didn't have the guts to wake him up to reality, when the two of them should be helping their other two friends right now.

The girl took one glance at the boy before returning her gaze to the horizon, leaning her head on top of her arms and sighing. _I do want to go with them…but will this trip going to have any sense with me in it? All I can give them will be smiles, but not the friendship they deserve._

Her chest ached, making one of her eyebrows twitch a bit. "Tsk…" she muttered to herself.

Before she could reflect more, a familiar female voice hovered to her, calling, "Kina!"

Kina turned to her left and smiled, for the one waving at her, just a few feet away but walking towards her and the boy, was another girl, this one younger, who had the same blue eyes Kina and the boy both had. Short red hair followed the form of her head, not passing her shoulders, and a choker was wrapped around her neck. She was smiling and laughing at the same time, and Kina, ignoring the chest ache she felt, couldn't stop herself from doing so, too; this second girl had a contagious bright light.

When she finally reached the two, the girl stopped and bent over at the boy. "Sleeping?!" she whispered at Kina. "Now?!"

Kina silently laughed. "Yes, Kairi, he's been sleeping even before I arrived." Kairi grimaced, making her laugh again, and went back to surveying the boy's face. "He's supposed to be helping…and you, too!" she smiled exasperatedly.

Kina's smile faded a little. "I know…" she said. "But I don't think I should even be going along this trip."

"Nonsense," Kairi countered. "You're our friend! One very close to Riku, may I add," she winked, almost making Kina blush and making her chest ache more painfully, "And friends are always together, right?" She momentarily gave Kina a smile before going back to examining the sleeping boy's face. "Oh, he's waking up!"

A moment later, while Kina watched, the boy suddenly jumped up into a sitting position. "Whoah!" he exclaimed in shock, looking up at the said girl with wide eyes, and fell back on the sands.

Kairi giggled, her eyes sparkling. She was obviously having fun messing with the boy, in Kina's opinion. The boy, though, had a hint of slight sleepiness in his voice when he said, "Gimme a break, Kairi."

"Sora, you lazy bum. I knew I'd find you snoozing down here." That comment made Kina snort, letting the boy Sora realize that there were more than one girl currently in the place. Turning his attention to the older girl, Sora blinked and put on a worried frown. "Oh no, not you, too, Kina!"

"What?" Kina put on an innocent look. "I wasn't doing anything. Not unless you count the slight snort I gave just because you've been lolling about." She smirked, intentionally making her thought obvious.

"No! This huge, black thing swallowed me up! I couldn't breathe, I couldn't—" before he could continue, Sora gave a slight groan and held his head. Kina blinked and raised an eyebrow.

Kairi, on the other hand, bent over with her hands on her hips and mockingly said, "Are you still dreaming?" Kina lazily smiled; she liked watching Kairi scolding Sora.

Sora immediately regained his composure at hearing Kairi's remark. "It wasn't a dream!" he retorted. A slight pause, then he continued slowly, "Or was it…? I don't know… What was that place…?" Kina saw that her friend had gone into his own world. "So bizarre…" Even though she found this event slightly ridiculous, Kina wondered what place Sora was talking about. To be honest, she felt she had dreamt of whatever place he was talking about. She just wasn't sure…

Kairi, though, didn't see anything wrong; instead, she found it to be as funny as Kina did. "Yeah, sure…" the redhead said sarcastically.

"Well, whatever it was, Sora," Kina said. "I say you better forget about it. You still have some work to do, you know."

"You've been lounging about, too, you know!" Sora exclaimed. "And you're supposed to help, too!"

"Yeah, I know," Kina answered. "But who do you think would rescue you if you were washed away by the sea, huh?"

"Uh…erm…" Sora started, to Kina's triumph, but Kairi cut him off. "You two have been lounging about! No excuses! And you're supposed to be the big sister, Kina!" Kina laughed, and commented, "True, true!" Her laugh, though, was cut short by her chest aching. She grimaced and clutched her chest.

Kairi saw her actions and asked, "Is something wrong?" Sora wasn't that dumb to stay ignorant, either. "Kina, is your chest hurting?" he asked.

Kina immediately gathered her composure despite the fact that the very recent chest ache was one of the most painful. She didn't want any of her friends to know that something was wrong. "Huh? Nothing…" she smiled. "Nothing's wrong…"

"You sure?" Sora asked, "Because something seemed definitely wrong…"

"Yeah…" Kina answered, pasting a grin on her face. "I'm alright…Don't worry!"

Sora and Kairi only looked at each other meekly.

After that, silence overwhelmed them for a moment, with Kina returning to watching the sea waves crash into the shore and return back to the sea, dragging her eyes to the horizon yet again. The sound of crashing waves and blowing breeze once again covered her ears, taking her to her own world, letting her stare into space and think of her friends' plan.

It was a while before Kina noticed that Kairi and Sora had gone quiet, too. And, at that moment, Sora broke the building ice. "Say, Kairi, what was your hometown like? You know, where you grew up?"

Kina perked up her ears again; she liked listening to her friends' conversations, even if she didn't join in. "I've told you before, I don't remember," Kairi answered.

"Nothing at all?" Sora could be annoying at times…

"Nothing." Kina wondered how Kairi could remain so patient…

"You ever want to go back?"

"Well, I'm happy here…" _Lucky for you, Kairi…_

"Really…"

"But you know, I wouldn't mind going to see it." _Yeah…I wonder what your world looks like…_

"I'd like to see it, too. Along with any other worlds out there! I want to see 'em all!"

"So, what're we waiting for?" _Sorry, but I think I'll pass…_

Unfortunately, someone else's voice floated to them. It was the one voice that had always unintentionally told Kina she'd be going with them whether she liked it or not. There was just something in that voice that could unknowingly make her do things she thought she would never be able to do. It had always encouraged her…and made her shiver. "Hey, aren't you guys forgetting about me?"

Kina stayed staring at the sea, her eyes widened a little bit at the voice. Only at the sound of it, her heart ached, as if telling her to ignore it. However, she sensed that Kairi and Sora had turned to look at the person, and that the person was walking toward them. "So, I guess I'm the only one working on the raft."

Kina sensed movement, and a second later she saw Sora fall back to the ground, holding a log, at the corner of her eye, amusing her a little. But she stayed facing only the sea, listening to the conversation.

"And you're just as lazy as he is!" the newcomer continued.

Kairi giggled, "So you noticed. Okay, we'll finish it together. I'll race you!"

"Huh?" was the reply Sora, as clueless as ever, could only give.

"What? Are you kidding?" the other boy, on the other hand, answered confidently.

Kairi ignored the second boy's comment and said, "Ready?" There was a pause, and Kina heard, "Kina?"

The blond-haired girl blinked, and reluctantly turned around to look at her friends. All three were staring at her, waiting for her to move. "Huh?" she muttered.

"You are going with us, right?" the fourth member of the group asked, emphasizing the "are" word and frowning.

Kina blinked, finding it hard to say no. Unconsciously, her eyes darted downwards as her mouth spoke of the two-lettered word, followed by an "I'm sorry…" sentence and look that was aimed to the ground.

There was silence for a moment…

"Come on, Kina…I thought you wanted to come along?" the boy asked, his eyes wearing that familiar plea he had always worn several times already, and had already proven effective on her. Kina's mouth twitched, wanting to smile, but it was hindered by her chest giving one of its most painful aches. She's been having these worst aches lately…

The blond girl had no choice but to sigh and stand up. "Alright…" she smiled to lighten up the atmosphere. "Kairi, the countdown?" she asked, readying herself for the run.

Kairi giggled. "Okay!" She paused. "Ready?" She looked at each of them. "Go!"

And so they ran, racing each other. Kairi was giggling, and Riku and Sora kept smirking at each other. Kina was located in the distance created by the two boys and Kairi, ignoring the throbbing hurt of her chest.

Seeing as the three were quite busy taunting, teasing, and laughing with each other, she gently slowed, until Kairi had gotten past her, still occupied by the two bickering boys. She watched as the trio moved farther away, and smiled. Riku and Sora were competing with each other. Kairi was having fun. And Kina was a part of this happy group who clearly did not know why she always tried to distance herself from them.

Kina wished they could stay like this forever… But, things have an end…

…_I'll be going now…_

When she saw that the trio had noticed her absence, she immediately sped to the waterfall site.

* * *

Please read and review, guys…I'll really appreciate the help… 


	2. Destiny Islands: First Day

Thanks for those who reviewed. I'm really glad that you guys liked my first chapter. Sorry this one took me long. Had to do a project and our computer's internet kept going down.

Anyway, I was originally planning to do Destiny Islands for only two chapters. Unexpectedly, though, I added a short fight scene here between Sora and Kina. I'm just new at fight scenes, so please don't sue me if it was brief or ugly. So…anyway…I think I'll be adding one or two more chapters for Destiny Islands.

- Changed the title of the previous chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts and its characters. I only own Kina and the man mentioned the previous chapter.

* * *

_The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow becomes.

* * *

Chapter 2: Destiny Islands – First Day_

* * *

Once Kina reached the waterfall site, she sat at the edge of the little pool, letting her feet dangle so that her red rubber shoes almost touched the rippling water. She was thankful of her blue pants that ballooned at the bottom past the knees because they let her legs cool. Destiny Islands was not her idea of a cold place. 

The young girl took off her blue hooded vest, revealing a red t-shirt underneath. She set the vest aside, stretched, and lay down on the sandy ground, her hands clasped under her head. Flecks of cool water droplets showered her as she watched the rainbow alternately disappear and reappear, and realized that it has been her hobby to leave her friends just to be alone. She did feel guilty that she's doing this to them after the things they did for her, but she did not want to get too close to anyone anymore. The times in which her chest ached told her that fact—she wasn't supposed to get close to anyone.

_Then I guess…_ she told herself, _that's the reason why I've been an orphan my whole life…_ She remembered envying Sora and Riku whenever she saw them with their parents, and felt sorry for Kairi for unconditionally losing hers. She could completely feel and relate to the Kairi's sorrow during her first few days here that she used her whole time during those first few days to take the role as Kairi's elder sister; she wanted to elevate the younger girl's heavy feelings.

"Hey, Kina!"

Sora's upside-down grinning face popped from the upper side of her view. "Why'd you leave the race so early? Riku was ready to take down a tree back there!"

"Huh…?" Kina raised an eyebrow. Whether Sora was truly joking or angry, Kina didn't know; he had the sound of disappointment, but he was grinning, for Pete's sake!

The grin faded and was replaced with a solemn expression. "You know, you can tell us if you don't want to be with us anymore…at least you won't have to hurt us, especially Riku, all the time…"

Kina watched as Sora sat beside her. "You always leave us in the middle of the activity. It's like as if you're just there to tell us that you're a friend, but within you really don't want to. What is it really?" She couldn't see his face as he said all this.

The blond girl shifted her gaze back to the rainbow. _You won't understand even if I tell you…because I myself don't understand it either._ She wanted to say these words…but knew that if she did, the situation would just complicate itself more. But what else could she say? She was treading on dangerous ground—if she answered wrong, she could lose her friends.

Wait…why was she worried of losing them? Isn't that what she wanted? Wasn't she isolating herself just to reach that goal?

But then again, sitting beside a sleeping Sora to wait for him to wake up isn't called isolating oneself.

The pain resurfaced again. Ignoring it, Kina smiled. "I'm still a friend, Sora. Don't worry." Unconsciously, one hand moved to her chest. "Don't start doubting me; why else would I waste my time sitting beside you earlier?"

"That's not really a nice way of comforting someone, you know…"

Kina giggled. "I know."

There was a pause. "Then…" Sora said, starting to grin. "You don't mind getting the things Kairi needs, right? I've got to get the things she told me to get, but looks like you've got a list, too!" He grinned. "Looks like the role of mother and daughter have switched!"

Kina scowled, sitting up and stretching out a hand. "Okay, okay! Let me have it!" Sora was becoming annoying again…

The brunette handed Kina a slip of paper, and the blond scanned it. _Two logs…two cloths…one rope…_

"Hey, Sora," Kina muttered.

"Huh?"

"What're your things?" Kina looked up from her list to find Sora looking up, obviously remembering his.

"Let's see…" he said, starting to count off from his fingers. "Three logs, one cloth, and one rope. I think that's all… Why?"

After hearing Sora's answer, Kina nodded. "Okay," she grinned. "I just wanted to make sure."

Sora nodded, too. After a pause… "I don't cheat!"

Kina laughed. "You are so slow!"

Sora pouted and crossed his arms, looking away. And it was just on time, too, because her chest ache was intensifying.

Kina had to pause for a minute, massaging her chest, before smiling, "Oh come on, Sora! You know I was just joking!"

"Not funny!"

Kina just kept laughing, and in the end Sora was laughing, too.

It was a brief time, but the fifteen-year-old girl had to stop, unless she wanted to feel like being torn apart. It was a good thing she was expert in acting, so Sora didn't notice the abrupt stop in her laughter. "So, Sora, want a round?"

"Hey, sure!" Sora exclaimed, calming down. "It's still a long day, anyway. I can search for my items later!"

* * *

Kina was holding her wooden sword in such a way that it was extended and pointed to the ground behind her while she crouched low. She and Sora had come down to the shore for the round, and right now she was wondering if ever Sora had a chance to beat her. After all, for every fight they've had in the past, she always won. That made her second to Riku amongst the whole group. _Heh…_ she smirked._ Talk about girl power… At least that'll remind them never to underestimate girls…_ "Ready?" she called, saw Sora nod, and yelled, "Let's go!" 

She charged; Sora did, too. At the last minute before their wooden swords crossed, she jumped, turning in the air, and slashed downwards as she landed. Sora was unable to avoid the slash because of his momentum and was hit at the back, causing him to fall face-forward on the ground. He groaned and stood up, while Kina jumped several steps back to launch another attack. She charged again and slashed, but at the last minute Sora was able to block her attack. The quick recovery made her smirk.

Sora charged at her, and Kina was only able to block the first attack. She took the succeeding hits, hoping she had a potion or two in her pocket if ever she needed it. After the last hit, she was thrown onto the ground. Using her hands like springs, though, she was able to somersault away from Sora, giving herself time to recover before another incoming attack from the younger. She landed on the ground with one knee on it and saw him running towards her. Kicking off the ground, the force enabled her to quickly close the distance between them while leaning low on the ground and strike her wooden sword, hitting Sora on the stomach.

"Ow!" the boy exclaimed, once again ending up lying on the ground. "That hurts!" He scowled.

"You should know that by now," Kina smirked, waiting for the boy to recover. "I am serious when I get into a round."

Sora smiled nervously before standing up. And the fight resumed.

It was one of the best rounds yet. Kina realized that every time she fought him, Sora would grow stronger and faster.

All her life Kina knew that fighting was much more fun than drowning in her own reflections. The first person she fought had been Riku, and during that first fight, she realized what her life would be. Her heart did not protest when she fought; rather, it seemed to like the activity. And if that's where she would be at best, then that's where she'd lay her life on—fighting.

As she stood in front of a lying and panting Sora, she smirked unconsciously. _I win again… I will never ever be defeated by someone like you…_

It was a while before she realized what she thought. And to know how it really sounded was like being cursed. _How can I think like that…?_ Kina thought, covering her mouth with a hand. _Why?_ It was like something inside of her had momentarily controlled her.

Kina shook her head, but it felt like something dark had now awakened at the back of her mind, pushing her to think more of these thoughts and put them into actions. She trembled, struggling to keep herself under control. Her hand was even undecided whether to drop the wooden sword or strike another blow at the boy in front. What was happening?

Her chaos was interrupted when Sora's voice cut in. "Oh man…"

Kina jerked back into reality and forced a smile on her face as she leaned forward and stretched out her free hand to the boy, only wishing that the smile didn't look strained. "You need to train more, Sora," she said.

Sora looked up, blinked, and grinned. "Yeah! Next time, I'll definitely beat you!"

Kina giggled, struggling not to think of any evil thoughts. "We'll see, Sora."

This was the first time…she seemed to think only of her friend as an enemy…

* * *

When Sora had gone to do his chores, Kina went off to do hers, too. Gathering the supplies Kairi needed was no deal; Kina knew the place like the palm of her hand. It didn't take long for her to finally all of the materials Kairi wanted. After a quarter of an hour of searching and wandering, she was on her way to Kairi.

"Here, Kairi," she said, handing over the materials to the younger girl. "I hope they're good enough."

Kairi giggled. "Don't worry; they are." She put the things aside and faced Kina again. "That was a good fight back there. How did Sora do?"

The blond smirked. "He's gotten better. I think he really wants to beat Riku." She could understand Sora. After all, they had the same goal: To beat their good old silver-haired friend.

"And I pretty much think he told you about the race you left earlier."

At that statement, Kina went quiet for a moment, scrutinizing Kairi's expression which was only of a small smile, though in her eyes was a hint of sadness. She didn't understand why…why they were fussing over these things… It was not just now that she did that. She had always done it. All the time.

Kina stared for a moment at Kairi before smiling. "He sure did," she replied. "But we got to an understanding."

"Which is…?"

"I'll never do it again, I promised him. And I promise it to you, too," the blond replied, nodding her head once as a show of her enthusiasm, which was enough to block the pain in her chest. "I think I'm making you guys worry too much already."

"Indeed," Kairi said, and then pushed her elder friend ("H-hey!" Kina exclaimed) to the direction of the small island on which Riku was training nonstop. "Now go to Riku and promise it to him, too! He needs it more than Sora or I do. I'm sure you know why."

Kina took one look at the small island, on which Riku was repeatedly striking at a harmless bent tree. Then she sighed, shaking her head defeatedly. "I have to, right…?"

Not waiting for Kairi's answer, she walked off towards the small island. _No need to argue…_ she thought. _You fully know you have to, Kina…he WAS the only one to befriend you when you were still young…_

Wanting to have a short swim, too, she decided to just take the sea route to the island. Kina walked to a distance until her legs could not allow her to easily walk. She dove into the water, feeling the cold and smooth texture around her, giving her relief from the blare of the sun. After a while, she came back up to the surface and swam to the part of the island not facing the larger one, and found the ladder leading. She stood on the ground pedestal the ladder was standing on, took a deep and silent breath, and climbed.

* * *

It was usually Sora when he heard the water below splashing, but this time, something in Riku told him to look who or what it was. When he did, though, a mixture of emotions took him off-guard. It was Kina. 

The boy watched as his friend remained underwater for a moment, before she swam to the ladder leading to this place, following her movement. He stared as Kina stood on the ground-made pedestal, her clothes slightly clinging to her body. Feeling his face heat up, Riku went back to hitting the poor tree. Anger, sadness, anxiety, excitement, eagerness and other emotions filled him. He didn't know what to do. He was both sad and angry that Kina kept leaving him, Sora and Kairi in the middle of their activities, but whenever he saw her, he became excited and eager to talk to her.

But when he heard Kina's voice, the anger and sadness he felt seemed to rule the others.

When she reached the top of the ladder, Kina scanned the area. Riku seemed to have not noticed her presence. That was quite unusual; he always acknowledged her when she arrived with her name and a smile or a nod. Was he angry?

"Riku?" she called, completely getting off the ladder and nearing the silver-haired boy. Riku kept hitting the tree, but seemed to have grown fiercer. He _was_ angry…

Kina went silent, knowing better than to aggravate the boy by repeatedly calling him. Instead, she just walked to another tropical tree and leaned against it, watching Riku's back. She'll wait…

After a moment, Riku did stop; but he didn't face Kina when he asked, "What do you want?"

His voice was low and angry; Kina should have already anticipated this. After all, with the way Sora said his joke earlier, she should have believed it. She bit her lip. She hated these times, but she knew it was her own fault. "I…" she started.

"What? Sorry?" Riku interrupted his head cocking to one side, away from Kina's direction. "You're always saying that. But then you'll start repeating your actions."

Kina bit her lip again, this time harder. "…"

"So now you're silent, huh?" Riku faced her, his eyes almost ablaze. "Tell me, why do you always leave?! Every time we get into an activity, you always have half the heart to join! Are you just forced to befriend us because I was your only friend a long time ago?!" A scowl formed in his face as he furiously walked to her, stopping just inches before her. "Just tell us if you want to be left alone, and we'll do it!"

Kina avoided Riku's eyes by looking away. _I can't tell you…_ she thought miserably. _…for even I can't understand what's happening to me…_ But then Riku held her shoulders and shook her, demanding an answer to his questions. "Tell me!"

"I'm really sorry!" she exclaimed, finally turning to Riku with pleading eyes. "I promise you…I'll never do it again! Please…I won't do it again…" she ended, trying not to cry as two kinds of pains emerged, warring with each other in her chest; the pain of finally seeing Riku's hidden hurt, and the pain she was born with. Even though this pain was the worst she'd ever had, it was rivaled by the pain she felt at seeing Riku's hurt. Her knees buckled so that only his hold kept her standing. "Riku…I'm really sorry…" she muttered, gasping as she held her chest, tears now forming in her eyes. The more she confessed and felt that she was sorry, the more the inborn pain grew. "I'm really sorry…"

But why was the pain always worse when it came to Riku…?

* * *

There you go. Second chapter done. I am sorry for taking so long. Met a few problems, done some things (i.e. duties), and unreadily got too many things in my hands. 

Hope you liked this chapter…if not, please don't flame; just say it in a constructive way. And please R&R. Thank you.


	3. Destiny Islands: Making a Promise

For my readers and reviewers, I'm really sorry that this was delayed for so long. I had so many things to do. Plus, my computer crashed in the middle of doing this, so I got a little bit depressed and delayed much more.

Anyway, disclaimer still on. I do not own any original Disney or Kingdom Hearts character. I only own Kina and a few other characters not originally seen in the game but may appear here.

By the way, the mushiness here…uhm…is something that I can say as the two characters' farewell gift to each other, though it's really an unconscious gift.

- Added a border line.

- Modified the Kairi-Kina conversation.

- Modified some words as seen in curiouzkatt's latest review.

Again, sorry for being a slow writer. It's just that whenever I'm in the zone, I happen to have other things to do. Anyway…on with the story.

* * *

_So much to do…so little time…_

* * *

Chapter 3: Destiny Islands – Making a Promise

* * *

"Are you all right now?"

Kina smiled up at Riku; he was sitting on the tree trunk, a leg folded to him and the other dangling. Kina herself was sitting on the ground in front of Riku, her arms wrapped around her folded legs. They had been like that for an hour already ever since Riku had let Kina alone while she calmed down. It was only now that he spoke.

"Yes…" she answered, getting back to viewing the horizon. It seemed as if her heart had stopped scolding her for being close to someone, which was quite a surprise. Her heart had never been this calm. She leaned her head on her knees and closed her eyes. "Thank you…"

She could hear the smile in Riku's quiet sound of satisfaction. "That's better…" she heard him say.

Silence engulfed them again.

Kina liked it so much…this peace that she was having. Being with Riku made it ten times more comfortable and right. It was not like the times she was alone and quiet—she always felt so discouraged during those moments. Her being with Riku felt like she was already living her life to the fullest. But it was so strange; they weren't doing anything fun…they were just…sitting there, watching the blue sea, waiting for the sun to set even though it would still be a few hours. No one had come to interrupt them, not even Sora or Kairi, and secretly, Kina appreciated that.

"Kina?" Riku called.

With a smile on her lips, Kina answered with a soft "Hm?" She loved how her name fit so well in that relatively deep voice of his. It just felt as if his voice was always meant to call her name. Was her voice meant to call his name, too? She wasn't even realizing that she was wishing for Riku to be thinking the same way, too.

She wanted to hear him again but unfortunately, nothing came after her reply. Looking up, she barely saw his silver hair dancing in the breeze. The smile faded from her lips as she furrowed her eyebrows. "Is something wrong?"

There was a brief silence in which Kina's worried expression deepened. "What's the problem, Riku?" She still couldn't see his face.

"It's just that…" she finally heard his voice, but it suddenly trailed off. Getting more worried, she stood up and turned to her friend. Honestly, she didn't like it whenever she sensed that one of her friends was having problems. "Riku…?" she softly called, feeling relieved when he looked up at her. "Won't you tell me what's on your mind?"

Riku only stared at her, and Kina waited until he spoke. It didn't take long for the waiting to end. "I'm just afraid that you would leave m—us again," he finally muttered loud enough for the girl to hear, looking away.

Kina blinked blankly before smiling softly. Riku might be a punk on the outside, but he was really a loveable boy on the inside. Putting a hand on his head, making him look up, she smoothed his hair and said, "Don't worry. I won't do it again. I promise."

What she got in return was something unexpected—and also something she'd bear even her worst heartaches for just to feel it even for a second. Riku stood up, stared at her, and pulled her into a tight hug, whispering, "A promise, all right?" Kina was shocked for a moment, but after a while she returned the hug, though briefly, before gently pulling away. She still wasn't used to this kind of gesture—she was never embraced by anyone else other than her mother.

The blond looked at the boy's face to see a swift emotion of worry before it was replaced with a smile. She assumed he must have been worried that she was going again. Had she caused him a trauma? She hoped not. She really hoped not. She wanted him to always be strong, because the Riku she always knew was strong, daring, adventurous. Taking a step back, Kina stretched out a hand and widened her smile. "Yes, it's a promise." Then she added, "Friends forever?"

Riku paused for a moment before taking her hand. "Friends forever. Promise."

Then Sora came to challenge Riku and Kina; although, there had been some beating done when the younger boy taunted his two friends about a little "scene" he just "glimpsed" earlier.

* * *

The sunset was beautiful, she had to admit.

There had been a talk about the upcoming trip, and Kina's mind, which would sometimes become sarcastic when she and her three friends would simply hang around, lost its words when Riku started explaining why he had pushed for this expedition. He wasn't just running around, Kina finally realized; he was serious, very serious. He really did want to see other worlds. And he really wanted to take his friends with him.

What had bit her inside was that Kairi was the one to inspire Riku. Ashamed at what she was feeling, Kina knew what it was: jealousy; and she scolded herself for being so. Kairi was like a little sister to her, and Kina was ready to give everything just to protect her. So how could she be so jealous now with Kairi unconsciously giving Riku some thoughts?

When the four friends finally decided to go, Kina looked back at the two boys to see that Riku had just thrown Sora a paopu fruit. The blond girl blinked and sweatdropped. Riku wasn't gay, was he? He wouldn't want to be so tied to Sora, would he? Or maybe it was just about Kairi…again.

A bitter feeling had swept over Kina's heart when Riku finally reached her, running ahead of Sora. The younger boy had dropped the fruit and chased after the older one. And when Riku was just a hair's width away from Kina, the girl heard a loud whisper.

"The shack."

Kina was startled, staring with wide eyes at her friend who was now at an increasing distance from her; he didn't look back—it was like nothing happened at all. Sora passed her, too, shouting an, "Come on, Kina!"

The moment had passed so swiftly that Kina had to take a moment or so to recover from her shock. A smile gracing her lips, the girl broke into a run, catching up with her three friends, not noticing that her heart was peaceful during the afternoon and wondering with much eagerness what Riku had in store for her.

* * *

Whenever Riku wanted to see her alone, there was always only one time they did. All Riku had to do was give the place and Kina already knew when to go. They had agreed upon it the very first time they met alone and neither of them ever failed to follow the agreement. It was like a sign of friendship for the two.

When Kina entered the shack that night, she was surprised to see that Riku still wasn't around; most often it would be he who was the first to arrive.

Deciding to wait for the silver-haired boy, Kina sat on the first step of the stairs, leaning on her knees, her head on her hands. She wondered what was taking her friend so long.

A minute later, the door to the shack opened and in came Riku, looking harried and hiding something behind him. Kina immediately stood up and went over to him, pushing down any remarks about his being late; she was more worried about why he looked like he was being chased by a hundred fangirls. Instead, she asked, "What's wrong, Riku?"

The boy only shook his head and straightened up, giving the girl a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I'm all right." Kina watched as he made his way to the stairs; she took note that he was taking good care of hiding something from her. "I'm glad you made it," he added.

She blinked. "What is it, Riku? And what's that you're holding?" she asked, nearing him again. Riku took a step back, shaking his head.

"I need to ask you something first," he said, and Kina stopped short on her tracks, becoming apprehensive. What was it? She tilted her head in curiosity and slight anxiety. Riku was looking quite excited but nervous. What was that he was hiding behind him? "All right, Riku…" she answered slowly. "But what are you holding?"

Her friend again shook his head, his silver hair flowing with his movement. "I have to ask you this first…" he replied. Then, using one hand to grasp her shoulder, Riku stared determinedly into her eyes. Kina returned the stare back, feeling herself drown in those deep pools of aquamarine.

There was a ringing silence as Kina became glued to the turquoise gems.

"…Could you bear being separated from me forever?"

The girl froze at the question. Why was he asking that? How could he even think about it? "W-why…?" she stammered, taking a step back, Riku's hold still on her. He cautiously tightened his grip as if afraid she would disappear anytime. Kina couldn't believe he had asked a question she had just decided to throw away. Before she could continue, the silver-aired boy finally showed her his other hand, shifting his gaze to it.

He was holding a paopu fruit.

No words came out of the blond girl's mouth, but Riku had things to say. "I'm afraid, Kina," he finally confessed. "I hate to admit it, but I'm afraid even though I was the one to push for this trip. We're going out into the unknown, and I don't want to lose you forever if ever something happens." He brought the paopu fruit between them and gazed into her sapphire eyes again. "I want to be sure that even if we get separated, even if we end up in different worlds…" His face got closer. "No matter how long it takes…I want us to find each other again. And then I'll stay with you forever…" His voice trailed off.

Kina blinked, her opened mouth finally closing. She looked at the yellow, star-shaped fruit. It was still very whole. But the fact that Riku was holding it while he made his speech made the boy's intention very pronounced. He didn't even have to talk for her to understand what he really wanted.

A smile graced her lips. Bringing both hands to the boy's, Kina raised the paopu to her mouth and bit a small chunk from it, savoring the sweet juice that flooded her mouth, her soft skin under Riku's rough one. Then she looked up at Riku with a sweeter smile. "You do know the legend may be fake, right?"

All the while Riku had quietly watched with an expression that said he wasn't expecting Kina would actually do it. However, after she spoke, his bewildered immobility was broken by his smiling and hugging the blond girl. He bit into the paopu fruit, tightening his embrace around her. "I don't care," he said. "So long as I know you want to be with me."

Kina had been stunned for a moment, but as the place went quiet once more, another smile made its way to her mouth. She wrapped her arms around Riku, leaning her head on his shoulder. She savored his warmth, the safety she felt around him…

The couple stayed like that until Kina giggled, realization dawning on her. Riku pulled away in question to her behavior. She shook her head in denial, but her laughted just grew harder, making her give in and chuckle, "I didn't know you had this side in you, Riku!" Then she ran out of the shack, knowing what would come next.

It took Riku a moment of blinking marathon before he absorbed what had just been said. He scowled and chased after Kina, waving a hand at her. "Hey! Come back here!"

"No way! Wait till I get to tell Sora!"

"KINA!"

And yet, both hearts knew that what had just transpired would not reach anyone's ears and would remain a secret between them alone.

* * *

And done. Please read and review. 


	4. Destiny Islands: The Night of Fate

A/N: Fourth chapter, folks. Thanks for the reviews. Again, I only own Kina and the concepts and complications that are connected to her, not Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

_Take your time…the door is still shut…_

* * *

Chapter 4: Destiny Islands – The Night of Fate

* * *

Kina yawned, watching the two boys race themselves to death for the large, yellow star embedded on the rocky wall at the cove. Actually, only Sora was running himself to death; Riku was practically having fun letting the younger boy eat his dust. It was really beginning to become a big wonder on why the brown-haired boy always dared to challenge the silver-haired one.

It wasn't even a big surprise when Riku came back looking victorious while Sora followed after him, his face wearing a defeated frown.

Kina giggled, watching the younger boy come up to Kairi and ask what was up for today. She, on the other hand, followed Riku out of the cove and to the little bit of land where the latter always hung out. She sat on the edge, swinging her legs to and fro, and grinned back at Riku. "I came to greet you for doing a great work."

Riku chuckled as he sat on the bent tree. "Of course," he answered complacently. "Sora won't beat me that easily. And neither will you," he added with a smirk. Kina blinked at him. He was becoming overconfident with himself again. She stuck out her tongue. "Right, almighty Riku."

They paused, then laughed. And Kina realized she had never laughed wholeheartedly without being cut off by that strange chest ache. Never. As thankful as she was for finally being able to experience these things, it was really becoming a great wonder why all the pains stopped…

Riku followed suit, curiously watching her. She smiled at him and waved, walking to the edge of the island. "I'm taking a dip." With that, she jumped into the water below, the coolness relieving her from the heat. Surfacing, she turned to the horizon and smiled. She felt human now…

The day went by smoothly. Sora had gone one-on-three with Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie and had surprisingly won, given his disadvantage. Then he had challenged her, but unfortunately, despite one out of four fights where he won, Sora still needed some more training to beat Kina, so it was still not a shock that Riku had beaten him as easily as pie that same day. Kina then decided to go three-on-one with the trio, and had beaten them quite as easily, but was on a two out of five rate when it came to Riku.

And that was why she was now staring at the waterfall, wondering how she could beat Riku. If she sat idly longer, she knew she would get behind. She had not trained for weeks, after all, so it must be why Sora and Riku were getting stronger for her.

The blond girl put on her shoes, stood up, and went inside the Secret Place. There, she pulled out her wooden sword and started to act as though she were fighting someone. She jumped, flipped and spun in the air, landed on the ground, struck at the wall or some hanging vines that were unlucky enough to be spotted by her eyes, pretended to have been struck down, only to come up again with a somersault or a kick for a counter-attack, and then avoided some imaginary attack intended for her. She quickened her pace, up to the point when she had buckled upon landing and stayed kneeling on the ground, sweating profusely and panting as though tomorrow would never come. She smiled at the ground. She noticed that she had gone slower, that she had just reached again her speed limit just then. There was no denying it.

She was getting rusty.

Kina stood up and started her moves again. She was thankful she decided to train; if she had put it off much longer, she might have taken longer than half an hour before she could perfect her speed and coordination once more.

In the Secret Place, there was a wooden wall she always loved to look at, always wondering what could be behind it. It had always been a mysterious trait of Destiny Islands, that wall. Nobody knew of who could have built it; nobody had claimed of building it. Nobody could open it up, either, and so everybody was left to wondering what was behind it.

By this wall Kina sat, staring at the only hole in the place where the sunlight filtered in. She was wet, like she had taken a bath, panting so much she seemed to have run a mile. The body aches were nothing to her, though, as she stared at the sky, recalling the reason on why the Secret Place ended up as her training ground.

* * *

"_Kina, come on!"_

"_I'm coming, I'm coming!"_

_Kina ran after an overeager Riku towards the waterfall, where Sora and a new girl were waiting. She slowed to a stop, wondering if it would be okay for her to join them._

"_Riku!" Sora whined. "This is our Secret Place! Only Kairi can come in with us!"_

_Kina took a step back._

"_Sora," was Riku's warning reply, his face darkening into a frown._

"_N-no…" Kina cut in, smiling at the three despite Sora's scowl and Riku's raised eyebrow. "It's fine with me, really…" she continued, retreating. "I hope you'll have fun…"_

_Feeling shaky and numb at the same time, she turned around and ran from the place._

* * *

_She had made herself comfortable in the tree house when somebody clambered up after her: Sora. Kina smiled apologetically at him and looked down at the paper she was drawing, afraid of what he might say. Maybe she was invading another one of their places?_

"_Hey, Kina…" Sora's voice came out as rather apologetic, too. "I…"_

_Kina timidly looked up at him, unable to look him directly in the eyes. She had always been shy of other people; they did nothing to her but they did not like or notice her, either. She saw him take a deep breath and heard him mumble, "I'm…sorry…"_

_Kina continued drawing. "It's…okay…" she answered. "Riku must have forced you into it… Don't worry… I'll talk to him about it tomorrow…"_

"_No!" Sora replied hastily, raising up his hands. "No, no! He's got nothing to do with this, really…!"_

_Kina's smile turned into an amused one. "Really… It's okay with me, Sora…" she stopped and viewed her work. "I wouldn't get angry with Riku or anything…"_

"_But really! Come on!" Kina jumped when Sora had grasped her arm and started pulling her out of the tree house. "Let's go to the Secret Place!"_

_Kina pulled her arm free from the boy's grasp. __"Sora… I'm telling you, it's okay…! I know__ Riku__ forced you into it…__"_

"_You're wrong!" Sora replied. "It's got nothing to do with Riku. I just… You only smiled when I pushed you away…" He bowed._

_Kina shook her head. "I'm used to it…"_

_There was silence for a while as Kina put the finishing touches on her drawing. _

"_Then you'll have to get unused to it!" was Sora's sudden outburst as, grinning, he suddenly pulled Kina out of the tree house and to the Secret Place._

* * *

When she was sure of her returned energy, Kina stood up shakily, about to leave the place, when the hair at the back of her neck stood up. She spun around to find no one…but a shining keyhole at the wooden wall.

As sudden as it had appeared, it had vanished, before she could even move.

Kina blinked, her mouth gaping, as she approached the wall cautiously, laying a hand upon where the keyhole had been. Was it only her imagination? She was not sure. It looked so real…

The girl dropped her hand and turned, her eyes still on the wall. The keyhole did not appear again. It would be of no use to ponder over it, would it? Deciding to ignore what just happened, she left the Secret Place, encountering Sora on her way out and on his way in.

* * *

Kina jerked awake that night, feeling worse than ever. She tried to get up but as soon as she did, her world spun and she collapsed back onto her bed.

Then it came back.

Kina clawed her bed. She was numb. She was sweating; she was panting, gasping. She felt like dying. She wanted the torture to end. She shut her eyes closed.

_A heart-shaped figure, half of which was black, the other pink._

Kina's eyes shot open, and then she was standing at the shore, watching Sora fail to get to Riku who had just disappeared into darkness. The younger boy looked frantically left and right and spotted her, his eyes widening.

Kina looked down and froze, for darkness was reaching out to her from the sands.

Sora ran to her, and she tried to call out, but her voice did not come out. His lips moved, but she could not hear him. He reached out a hand, but he only passed through her. Kina turned, but she only got a glimpse of Sora turning, too, before she was swallowed up by the darkness.

* * *

_She was blinded by light._

_Then it became nothing._

_Then she was floating in darkness._

_Her eyes opened, blinking several times to clear her vision. She could not stand up. She could only see a heart-shaped figure, half-black, half-pink, floating just above her chest. She swallowed, never feeling this much fear before._

_What would happen to her now?_

_Kina shut her eyes closed again, refusing to let tears flow. She remembered Riku, Sora, Kairi… Wakka, Selphie, Tidus… The moments she had with them… The moments she wasted…_

_And then something moved. Kina's eyes widened and she trembled. Something unseen was moving amongst the darkness before her, obviously coming for her, yet she could not do anything._

_The darkness was moving…it was coming for her…it was coming for her heart…_

"_N-no…" she managed to choke out, her will to survive giving her enough energy to talk. "P-please…"_

_The darkness stopped. It retreated to its depths._

"_More time…" resounded in Kina's head._

_Then she was forced to fall asleep…_

* * *

Hmm…Done. Not much dialogue and Kairi here… Sorry about that…

Next up: Traverse Town


	5. Traverse Town: Lost

A/N: Fifth chapter. Thanks for reviewing, guys. Sorry if I'm reducing in quality and length. Been on hiatus for awhile, too, so I decided I'd be a little more energetic and try to write as much as I can. I don't really know if I'll be able to follow this one with another for a while. It will depend on my mood, really.

Disclaimer: Again, I don't own Kingdom Hearts, only Kina and the concepts plus the complications connected to her.

* * *

_They'll come at you out of nowhere…_

* * *

Chapter 5: Traverse Town – Lost

* * *

The girl jerked awake, sitting up abruptly, her bloodshot eyes focusing on nothing, sweat running down her skin, her breath coming in shallow gasps. Her body felt bound. She was trembling. Her hair was in shambles. 

Kina covered her face with her hands, pulling her legs to herself, trying to pull herself together. She could not. Everything was in confusion. She kept feeling as if she would fall anytime soon into an invisible pit that was readied for her. She was so afraid, she could not let herself see where she could be, or what could have happened to her or her friends. She had seen Riku disappear into darkness… She and Sora had been intangible to each other…

And where was Kairi?

As if an answer to her question, a scene flashed in her mind, and she saw Sora going into the Secret Place. He found Kairi standing before the wall. The latter turned and, looking ill, called his name. Kina watched in horror as a wind that came from the wooden wall blew Kairi towards Sora, everything went in slow motion as she saw the redhead pass through the brunette. And Kairi faded into nothing…

"_Kairi…!"_ Kina called out, but she knew she was not heard. _"Kairi…! Kairi!"_

But everything had gone black.

Kina's bloodshot eyes shot open once more, her hands covering her face. "Kai…ri…" she choked out. "What…happened…?"

No answer came anymore. Only silence remained.

Peace finally settled on her as she sat there, hands still on her face, her eyes finally dilating and refocusing. She could finally see her fingers, then she could see her legs, then her feet, then the ground. She was calming down, her mind clearing up. Kina closed her eyes, breathed deeply several times, and opened them again. She uncovered her face to see what was behind them and blinked at the sight that met her.

Before her was a small canal that started at a point and led to a barred tunnel which did not look ready to be opened soon. Past that canal was a wall and across from the wall, she turned to see, was a row of houses, all lit up colorfully, although all were painted in different shades of blue.

"Where…" Kina muttered, standing up and looking at the houses, two of which had a small alley between them that led to a door. "Where am I?"

No one was around. The place was like a part of a ghost town. Kina looked around once more. "Hello? Is anybody there?"

No answer.

"Anybody?"

Still, no answer. She did not want to stay in that unknown place and so moved for the door, when suddenly black creatures emerged from the ground. She froze; they twitched momentarily, watching her, and then, as if seeing her for the first time, approached her.

In her hysteria, Kina ran for the door and tried to open it in dismay. It was locked. Turning around, she found she was already cornered by the creatures. She shook the knob harder. It would not budge.

Kina gave up and pressed herself against the door, facing the twitching creatures. "Leave me alone!" she commanded, losing all hopes of escaping.

To her shock, they did. Retreating for a bit, they returned back to the shadows, leaving her alone in the alley. Kina stared. They really listened…

She took a few wary steps away from the door, praying that the black things would not come out anymore and ambush her. They did not. She stretched out a hand to one side and leaned against the wall, feeling that she would collapse in both fear and anxiety. What were they? What was happening? She could feel her temples pulsating, her heart beating frantically…

Kina took deep breaths and turned around again, facing the door. She could not be locked in the place. She just could not. But she was now afraid of what might come out if she even went beyond her position to inspect the whole area. She just wanted to get out of that ghost of a town. She wanted to see some people. But the door was locked. How could it be locked? Where was the key?

Kina mentally slapped herself, realizing how stupid she was being right now. Here she was, wanting to become stronger than both Riku and Sora, but the mere sight of things she could have fought and the loneliness she was feeling were already driving her to a corner. If Sora or Riku were in her place, they would have had already searched the place for the key, and had beaten up those creatures bad, too.

The girl hung her head, scolding herself. No wonder those two boys were leaving her behind…

She took another deep breath and now, full of determination, turned around to look for the key and maybe, now that she was thinking clearly, another door. If ever those creatures came back again, she would just have to improvise with whatever she might find. It would not be so hard to turn a broken pipe into a kind of batting weapon, if not a sword, right?

But upon taking only a few steps, Kina stood numb at seeing tendrils appear around her right hand. She felt them swirling, cold but smooth, and watched as they, starting from her hand, grew to three feet away from it. And then something which looked like a large key appeared in her hand, the butt colored black with a purple division in the middle, the part which she was holding. It looked like a weapon, but a strangely shaped weapon at that.

Kina stared at the object, wondering why it had to be shaped like a key. Adjusting her hold, she heard a chime, bringing her eyes to the other end of the hilt, where a keychain trailed and ended into a purple crescent.

Holding the simple object screamed of everything dark inside her head that Kina wanted to drop it then and there, which did happen as she was suddenly overcome with a painful headache, her sight blurring but still absorbing enough light to let her see that the weapon disappeared. She moaned, not thinking about the strange weapon anymore and only of her current condition. She closed her eyes and a familiar scene played in her head.

* * *

_She saw Sora reaching out to Riku but failing. Instead, he escaped from the darkness that tried pulling him into the ground and stumbled out into the open, turning to see the older boy disappearing into darkness. Almost immediately, something that looked like a key appeared in the boy's hand._

_In her mind, Kina sensed a feeling of rivalry and contempt upon seeing that thing in Sora's hand, but she repressed all the evil feelings as worry for her friend overpowered them. He spotted her, and they both called out to each other, but she could hear no voice from him, and was uncertain if he heard her, either._

_Sora passed through her, then as she was turning, everything went black._

* * *

She was brought back to reality, with the very first thought flashing through her mind as why she hadn't seen the key appear. Kina was sure she must have seen it if Sora had been close to her, but she didn't see at all the first time. What happened? 

_Blinded…_

Kina stopped short, her breath caught in her throat.

_Blinding yourself…_

"I…I'm not blinding myself…" Kina mumbled disbelievingly.

_Blinding herself to what she really is…_

"Wha--?!" Kina kneeled on the ground, holding her head. "Who's blinding me?! Who are you?! Show yourself!"

But no one came.

Kina panted, looking around to find no one. Shakily, she stood up. Who was talking to her all this time?!

The strange object appeared in her hand again, and she dropped it. Unfortunately, it disappeared and reappeared in her hand. She jumped. "W-what the…?!"

A moment of silence passed before Kina calmed down again. Remembering about her friends gave her courage once more, and she walked out of the little alley and into the open. The creatures appeared again, but, this time, she did not retreat. Full of determination again, she attacked them.

It did not take her long to finish the creatures. However, with each creature she killed, she felt more and more satisfied, as though she was doing something right, as though the death of the creatures were not useless. The site of the pink hearts that would float off would give her a sense of success, of victory. She did not know why.

At last, she watched the last heart fly off. She felt as though she did a job well done. She looked at her weapon.

_Key…able to open any lock… The Keyblade…_

Kina smiled, albeit it was becoming more of a smirk. She was thinking of things that she knew she had already learned, but could only remember now. She closed her eyes once more and realized what Sora had been talking about just two days before all this had happened, that day she last found him asleep at the beach.

She had been taught how to wield a Keyblade. She had been prepared for this…

Kina walked over to the locked door and pointed her Keyblade at it. Purple light shot from the farthest point of the Keyblade and into the keyhole of the door. She heard the unlocking mechanisms working, and let the Keyblade disappear as she moved to turn the knob…

The girl froze for awhile before she blinked, wondering what had just come over her. What happened? What did she do? All she could remember was attacking the first Heartless she had killed. But everything from then on was a big blank. Why was she opening the door? Wasn't it locked? Nevertheless, taking another chance, she turned the knob.

The door opened, revealing Sora at the other side, on the way to opening the door she had just unlocked.

* * *

It's kind of slow, I know… Traverse Town may be done in just two or three posts, including this chapter. Most of the Traverse Town dialogues may be in the next chapters. Sorry. The chapters are recently more on the description side. 

On a last note, please R&R.


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